


Leaving Helps You Learn

by NamelessAngel



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Break Up, Breakup, Cheating, F/M, Gen, Getting Back Together, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Its 3 am, Jane Foster is a Good Bro, Loss of Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Moonshine, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Post-Break Up, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Siblings, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but it will get better!, friend cuddles, middle of nowhere, or uncle, possible getting back together, possible happy ending, southern grandpa ftw, things are not well in this world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-06-08 05:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15236376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelessAngel/pseuds/NamelessAngel
Summary: James was out on a mission when Darcy packed her bags and left their shared apartment.--------------------------Darcy had been with James for four years and just over seven months when she packed her bags.Bucky had been with Natasha for eight months.Darcy finds out and the world gets turned upside down.--------------------------





	1. Revealing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> This has been wiggling around in my head for a while, most of this was written at 2 am and is not betaed nor fully edited. You have been warned. This is my first piece for this fandom and I hope you enjoy! If you spot any errors please kindly let me know!
> 
> Standard Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with anything Marvel. The characters are not mine, only the plot.

Darcy was alerted by Jarvis when the team got back to the tower from a mission that had gone wrong barely two minutes into the op. It was bloody, it was brutal, and her heroes were injured. Natasha had been shot through the stomach and the bullet had grazed her hip bone. She was rushed into surgery upon the team’s arrival. 

When Darcy got up to the med floor, all she saw was bruised and beaten faces and a very low morale. She offered comforting touches as she made her way to James, standing outside the window to the operating room. When she was a foot away from the grief-stricken face of her lover she tucked the hair that had fallen loose from his haphazard bun behind his ear, resting her hand on his shoulder before looking through the glass at her friend on the table.

“She’ll be okay,” Darcy murmured softly, “she always is.”

James looked at her and his eyes were a stormy gray, swirling with sadness and rage. He huffed out a shaky breath before moving away from her touch, “This is my fault.” 

Darcy curled her fingers into her hand as her arm dropped to her side, “James—” 

The look he gave her was nothing but frustration and remorse. “I distracted her. Was supposed to be easy. She asked if I had told you—”

“Told me what?” Darcy interrupted with a look of confusion on her worried face.

“About us.” James looked through the glass towards Natasha, his arm whirring as he clenched his fist, “and I said no. Because I was cruel and angry, and I told her I wasn’t going to. That we had to stop. I told her I couldn’t hurt you anymore. I needed you.” He unclenched his fist as his eyes dropped to his feet before sliding to look at her out of the corner of his eye. “I told her she was my past, but you were my future. There was no more waiting for us but pain.”

Darcy schooled her face as best as she could, but she was no spy. She was not trained to be secretive or to lie. She crossed her arms in both comfort and defense as she took half a step away from him, her eyes staring at the woman on the table but not seeing her. “Why are you telling me now?” She gasped out between clenched teeth.

James chin dropped to his chest as he looked down at his boots, still shining with what was most likely blood, “All this is my fault. Because I couldn’t tell you sooner. Because I couldn’t end it with her sooner. Because I was selfish, and her pain is my fault. I didn’t want to lie anymore. Not to you.” 

Darcy looked at him, saw the man crumbling before her as he was wracked with pain and guilt. “Now you’ve knowingly hurt us both,” she whispered without remorse into the space between them before she turned and walked out. 

The pitying glance from Steve, the sad but worried look from Tony, the way Clint refused to look at her. It all added to her hurt as she walked out. She wished Thor was planet side, she wanted a hug from her pseudo-brother.

Darcy had been suspicious. The late nights James would wake without nightmares and go down to Natasha’s to drink and reminisce. The odd looks she would get from Tony and the constipated look on Steve’s face when Natasha would sit on the other side of James at team dinners and movie nights. The time the two of them went on a duo op and Natasha came back with the air of a woman who had been thoroughly fucked.

But she had also trusted James. Trusted Natasha. The man she came home to, the man that took her dancing and stayed up all night to do Science! With her and Jane whenever they went stargazing. The woman who taught her self-defense when she got mugged walking back from the coffee shop, the woman who helped her bake bird’s milk cake, and joined in on girl’s nights both in and out of the tower.

And now Darcy knew that she had been right to be suspicious. And that it hurt. The way the rest of the team so obviously seemed to know but not say anything added to her hurt. 

As she stepped into the elevator she straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. 

Darcy Maria Lewis would not cry over a man. She just needed some air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated. 
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes. 
> 
> Nameless Angel


	2. Running

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> This has yet to be revised, but I wanted to go ahead and put it out there. I'm going to try and post the next two or three chapters by Monday... hopefully...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and for those of you who left kudos, comments, and bookmarked this work... You guys warm my black heart! 
> 
> So here you go, Chapter 2. Hope you enjoy! If you spot any errors, please kindly let me know.

Chapter 2

Darcy was hoping for a fast escape from the tower, but as the elevator stopped not even six floors from where she got on, she was doubting the chances of that happening. Taking a deep breath, she tried to prepare herself for whatever possibility lay on the other side of the doors. But when it opened and Jane stepped in while typing away on her tablet, Darcy let out a shaky breath. 

“Hey Darce, I need you to run the data from the latest alignment simulation against the information we got from the last trip to Canada. We need it for the trip to New Mexico next month,” the scientist continued typing, not looking up, “and I was thinking maybe you could make spaghetti for team dinner next week, Thor’s due back this weekend and I know Nat would love—” 

Jane looked up when Darcy let out a strangled noise, shaking her head in a quick and jerky no. “Darcy? What happened Darce?” Jane let her tablet drop to her side as she stepped closer to her friend, reaching out towards the stiff woman, “What happened? Did Bucky get hurt? Jarvis only said something about Natasha being shot.” 

Darcy took a step back from her friend, barely breathing as she whispered into the tense space, “Did you know?” 

“Know what? Darce, what happened?” Jane stepped closer to her friend, reaching out to lay her hand on Darcy’s shoulder.

“That James and Natasha have been fucking around behind my back for the last I don’t even know how long. Judging by the constipated looks of pity, the rest of the team seems to have known. Did you know?” Darcy could feel that she had a crazed look in her eyes, but she honestly didn’t care. She wanted to know how far this betrayal went. How much deeper this was going to hurt. 

Jane’s worried expression morphed into one of pure horror and outrage with each word out of Darcy’s mouth, “Barnes and Natasha did WHAT?!” Jane’s screech and glare turned from Darcy’s face to the elevator doors as the cart once again stopped 26 floors away from the lobby. 

The doors opened to reveal a disheveled Tony Stark, holding out a black plastic card and a set of keys. Before either woman could say anything he blurted, “I suspected, but I wasn’t sure. Happy is in the garage, he’ll show you what these go to,” he jiggled his outstretched hand when neither woman moved to take what he was offering them, “take a drive, take a weekend, fucking hell Dee take a month long trip. Do whatever you need to do to. Put it on me. Buy a house, buy a boat, buy some booze. Just go do whatever you want. Just…” he looked up at the ceiling as he trailed off, looking for all the world like he knew how Darcy was feeling. 

Darcy reached out to take the keys Tony was offering, resting her hand over to get him to look at her again, “Why didn’t you say something Tony?” 

Jane huffed but was cut off as Tony pushed the keys into Darcy’s hand, “I didn’t know for sure, kid. I didn’t want to tell you and it be for nothing. I tried to catch them, do something to get proof of some kind to show you… But I couldn’t get anything. Whatever they did, not even Jarvis could catch them. They were careful. And I didn’t want to tell you and not be able to back it up,” he shoulders drooped just a bit as his voice turned to barely more than a whisper, “I didn’t want you to hate me, kid. Not if I couldn’t prove it to you.” 

Darcy inhaled a shaky breath, “I don’t hate you Tony,” she shook her head as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around the man who had morphed into some odd semblance of a father figure ever since the incident in Ohio two years ago, “but I still wish you had said something.” Tony returned her embrace, squeezing her tight to his chest before she stepped away. He reached out and tucked the card into her jacket pocket before stepping away from the doors as Darcy stepped back to stand by Jane. 

Tony’s face turned serious, “Do whatever you need to, kid. Go see that brother of yours, go to that big telescope, go to one of my places or buy one of your own. Just… please let me know where you land,” his gaze shifted to Jane, “Go with her Doc, at least for now. If you need me to send your equipment anywhere or need me to pull some strings for the big telescope just let me know.” 

Jane reached out to squeeze Darcy’s hand, nodding at Tony as she did, “I wasn’t going to leave her alone. We’ll let you know what she decides to do. Thanks, Tony.”

His gaze shifted once again to Darcy, “Stay safe, Sparky. I’ll be waiting for a call.” He nodded towards the camera above the elevator doors, “Take her down J, straight to Happy.”

The doors slid closed as Jarvis chimed in from the ceiling, “There will be no further delays, Miss Lewis,” his voice sounding slightly sorrowful, “I do hope you will be safe in your travels. If there is anything you need, I would be glad to be of assistance.”

As the doors opened to the underground garage Jane nodded towards the closest camera, “Thank you, Jarvis.” 

Happy was waiting with two bags of what Darcy assumed to be clothes, Jane quirked an eyebrow as she wrapped her arm around Darcy as they stepped out onto the floor, the two trailing behind the man as he walked them down the row of gleaming cars, trucks, SUVs, and everything else ride-able that Stark collected. 

“Mr. Stark gave you the keys to the latest Range Rover, but if you would prefer a different vehicle he said you could take your pick,” Happy nodded to the shining black vehicle in question as they came to a stop, “It is fully equipped with GPS, Tony’s audio system, and has Jarvis linked in.”

“This is fine Happy,” Darcy tried to gave a pained smile as she clicked the keys to unlock the vehicle, “thank you.” 

Happy nodded as he moved to put the two bags he had carried into the back seat, “It was no trouble. If you need anything while you’re gone, you have my number, and Jarvis will be with you as well,” he stepped back from the vehicle as the girls got in, Darcy taking the driver’s seat. 

“We’ll let Tony know where we end up. Thank you, Happy.” Darcy started the car and pulled out of the garage, while Jane fiddled with radio. 

Darcy didn’t know where she was going, she didn’t know what she was going to do, but she did know that she wanted to be at least two states away before taking the night to drown her anger and sadness in tequila. 

Figuring out what came after could wait until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I did want to note that I am normally a 100% BuckyxDarcy shipper, but sometimes you just need some angst! Thanks again to all of you who left comments, kudos, and bookmarked my work! 
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated. It warms my charred heart!
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes.
> 
> Nameless Angel


	3. Roadtrip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy has a destination in mind. 
> 
> Jane is jumpy in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all!
> 
> I am so sorry it took so long to get this one out, I was on vacation and left my charger at home. BUT, here we are!
> 
> Thanks so much to those who left kudos and commented! You warm my black hear!
> 
> This is unedited, and I am not 100% happy with it, but it is the next step in where I am taking this story! If you spot any errors please kindly let me know!

Chapter 3 

The setting sun was blinding in the rearview mirror barely three hours into the drive. Jane had tried playing the radio for the first hour, talking the second, and was now poking at something on her tablet as Lindsey Stirling played throughout the car. 

Driving was one way that Darcy was able to clear her mind and focus on the task at hand. She had always focused easier when she didn’t want to think on something. Her teachers had hated it, but it had helped her out later in life in dealing with things she didn’t really want to deal with. 

Five hours and twenty three minutes into the drive was how long it took before Jane asked where exactly they were heading. 

“I totally get driving just to drive,” Jane said, “but it’s after dark and we’ve only stopped once for drinks to pee. Are we going anywhere in particular… or just… away?” she gestured out the windshield with her right hand.

Darcy glanced at Jane when she checked her side mirror, “We’re heading to my Uncle Roger’s, at least first. Remember the one near the Amish people out in Ohio?” she glanced over to see Jane shaking her head no, “The one with the moonshine, Janey. Who tried so hard to see if any of his brews could get Thor buzzed?”

Jane’s eyes lit up with understanding, “yes! Wait… why there?”

“Well, for starters, he has lots of strong alcohol that he won’t make me pay to drink. Add in the fact that we can also crash for free, it’s a win-win.” Darcy peeked over at Jane before muttering under her breath, “and he’s kind of off-the-grid…” 

Jane leaned in, “he’s what? I didn’t hear that last bit Darce.”

Darcy let out a deep sigh as she regripped the wheel, “I said, that he is kind of off-the-grid. As in, no phone, no internet, no anything really. The most modern thing he owns is his truck, which is easily over 30 years old. And the distillery but that’s pretty old too.” 

Jane stared for a moment before shrugging and settling back into her seat, “I guess that’s a good idea. I take it you don’t want the others to know where you are?”

“Got it in one Janey.”

“What about Tony?”

“We’ll call before we lose service. Then turn off Jarvis’ gps and location functions.”

“So…” Jane let out a small sigh, “How much farther until we get there?”

“Ummm….” Darcy squinted as she looked at the signs for the exit they were passing, “I think a little over three more hours? He’s right outside of Sugarcreek, so we take that exit in Ohio and he’s maybe 35 minutes out?” 

“Does he know you’re coming Darce? If that’s the case we won’t get there till after one…” Jane side-eyed her, “or does he still do that whole moon brewing thing? That was him, right?”

Darcy huffed out a small laugh, “yeah, Janey, that’s Roger. He’ll be up. And if not, I know how to get into the loft.”

Jane groaned.

 

Jane sighed in relief when she finally caught sight of the shack cabin off the gravel road they had been on for at least the past five miles. 

Darcy’s shoulders shook with silent laughter, her boss had been fidgety ever since they lost sight of the main road due to the trees. Space? A beautiful enigma. Aliens? Pretty cool. The woods at night? Jane would jump at the slightest noise. 

Darcy parked the car between the house and tool shed. They grabbed the bags that Happy had put in the backseat before Jane followed Darcy up the steps to the front porch. The darker headed girl knocked on the doorframe three times, “Reeee-gore!” She shouted in a sing-songy voice, “Reee-gore!!” 

Jane jumped and twirled around at the sound of a branch breaking behind them, she reached out and gripped her friend’s wrist when she saw a man coming out of the woods across from them. “Darcy,” she hissed, “Darcy turn around!” 

Darcy glanced over her shoulder, smiling when she caught sight of what had spooked Jane, “Regor! Remember me, Uncle?” She set her pack down and met her uncle halfway, gesturing with her hands the entire time but speaking low so Jane couldn’t overhear.

“What ya be doin’ ‘ere Darcey-girl?” her uncle looked her up and down, “Ya ain’t lookin like ya did da las’ time you was ‘ere.”

Darcy scuffed her shoe in the gravel, “I, uh, was hopin you would let us stay for a few days, I need some of your special brand of poison and a place to be nowhere for a little while.” Her uncle huffed at her.

“Ya ain’t in no kinds’na trouble are ya? I needs to go an’ git Hattie ‘n’ McCoy from o’er at Pauler’s place?” 

Darce huffed out a small laugh, but the day and night was settling in on her and she was starting to want nothing more than sleep. 

“No, nothing like that, the hounds can stay at Paul’s” Darcy sighed, “ he uh- you remember James?” her uncle nodded, “he cheated on me. With Nat, the red head. It was bad Pap, I had to get out for a bit.”

Her uncle opened his arms wide, “Come on ‘ere and gi’ me hug. We gon’ settle ya girls in and tahmorrah we gon drink us some shine. I’ma gon’ git one a them new pups tah come an’ stay wit’ ya.”

Darcy stepped into her Uncle’s arms, burying her face in his shirt and fighting off tears, “thanks, Pap.”

“Ain’t not a ting Darcey-girl, ain’t not a ting,” he squeezed tighter before whispering, “dat frind o’er on da porch, she ain’t da twitchin star-cat ih she?”

Darcy’s shoulder’s shook with silent laughter and tears, “Yeah, Regor. That’s Janey.” As she stepped back to wipe her eyes on her sleeve her uncle hummed and started towards the porch, stopping to grab the bag she had dropped. He said something she couldn’t hear as he passed Jane but the girl squeaked then nodded vigorously at whatever he had said before glancing back at Darcy who had started walking towards the house. 

She linked her arm around Jane’s waist and leaned her head on the smaller woman’s shoulder as they followed Roger into the house. Leaning in closer she whispered to Jane, “I bet you five poptarts he’s gonna bring us a pup to sleep with within an hour.”

Jane snickered before leaning down, “six says he brings two.”

Darcy’s shoulders shook, “You’re on.”

They followed Roger up to the loft where he turned on the lights and pushed the girls into the bathroom, telling them to “git clean” while he put sheets and blankets on the bed. 

At Jane’s confused look Darcy toned in, “He’s a bit of a mother-hen. Runs in the family.”

“Still weird, he doesn’t look the type,” Jane shook her head. And Darcy had to admit that her uncle looked a bit rough, maybe even a little mean with the beard and leather vest and complete lumberjack persona, but he had always been a bit of a teddy bear where she was concerned. 

Darcy was brushing her teeth while Jane peed when her uncle called that the bed was ready and he was going back out to the still, saying to pull the bell cord if they needed anything. 

It wasn’t till the two had climbed into bed and Jane pulled Darcy into cuddle did she say anything about what had happened, “What did he say, Darce?” Jane whispered into the dark of the room.

As much as Darcy wanted to think Jane was talking about her uncle she knew who the woman meant. Taking in a deep breath and burrowing further into Jane’s side she murmured back, “bullshit, Janey, a whole bunch of bullshit.” 

“Now or later?” Jane tightened her arms around her friend.

“Later?” Darcy exhaled, “with Pap’s shine. But right now I just want sleep Janey.”

“Sleep, Darce,” Jane ran her hands through the darker hair of her friend, untangling knots, “I’ll be right here.” 

And with Jane petting her hair, Darcy fell into a blessedly dreamless sleep. She didn’t stir when Roger brought up two lanky mutts hours later, when Jane then drifted off herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated.
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes.
> 
> Nameless Angel


	4. Retelling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy tells Jane and her Uncle what happened with James, tears are shed. There was tragedy in Ohio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! 
> 
> I am terribly, terribly sorry I have not been updating. Life happened and I lost my muse but the muse is back and life is sort-of-ish calming down enough for me to think for two seconds. 
> 
> Fair warning: updates will be sporadic, and I apologize ahead of time. I have this chapter and one more written and will post the next by probably midnight. 
> 
> Unbeta'd, all the mistakes are my own (so is "Pap") but the Marvel characters belong to Marvel. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

It was early morning when Darcy woke, the sun barely pink with the rising sun. She rolled away from where Jane was curled around her, adjusting the covers over her friend as she got out of the bed and shushing the pups when they started to whine. Climbing down from the loft, she headed to the back of the cabin where she could hear her uncle messing around in the kitchen. 

Pausing in the doorway, she watched as her uncle grumbled and cursed under his breath as he dug around in the cabinets. “Pap, if you’re looking for the coffee filters, they are under the sink. And if you’re looking for the coffee, it’s above the sink.”

Her uncle jolted a bit at the sound of her voice but went to grab the items and set them by the coffee pot, “ya al-ays knew jus’ whur’ er’eytin was, Darcey-girl.” As he went about setting the pot to start he peeked at her over his shoulder, “ya wan ih wit Bailey’s?” 

Her lips quirked up in a tired half-grin, “ya always did know just what I needed Regor.” She moved to sit at the small oak table he had shoved against the window as he dug around for the liquor. 

“Al-ays gon’ take’ care o mah birdey, yes’um,” he poured Bailey’s into two mugs and set the bottle by the coffee pot before pouring the fresh brewed elixir of life into the mugs and adding three spoons of sugar to hers, “yu gon’ be needin’ sum gud shine tahdey missee. Ya lil frind da starcat gon’ wanna talk wit ya.” He handed her a mug and sat across from her, “And Ima gon be hearin’ dis tale too, girl.”

She hummed as she breathed in the scent of coffee before taking a sip, “Can we break out the old summer specials?”

“Yu wan’ da peenyah o’ da peach uns?”

She peeked at him over her mug, “Both? And a jar of Clear Death if you still have any?”

Her uncle huffed out a grunt, “ya ne’er did fohget an’ee o mah brews. We gon’ break all oh em out jus’ fo yew, mah lil birdee.” Draining the rest of his coffee he stood and put his mug in the sink, “Ima go an see what I gots in da shed ou’ back. Might need an go by Paul’s to git the strong uns.” He shrugged on his coat hanging by the back door, “I be back soon girlie.”

As soon as his footfalls left the steps she let her tears fall.

\----------------------

Two hours later found Jane and Darcy curled up on Adirondack chairs out by the fire hole in front of the cabin with a hand-knit afghan and a pup on each of their laps. Her uncle took the time to start the fire before going off to Paul’s to grab some Clear Death. 

Taking a deep breath Jane asked,“Did he say anything about…” she trailed off as she looked at Darcy out of the corner of her eye.

Darcy pulled the dog closer to her chest, “no, he didn’t mention Ohio. Or anything before or after Ohio,” she looked over at her friend, “you can say it Jane, you know that right?”

Jane fidgeted with the loose ends of her afghan, “I know… I just, I know it was hard. Is hard. And I know yesterday can’t make it any easier…” Jane looked up at her, “as soon as your uncle gets back we are getting drunk and you are telling me what he said. I need to know how far into the ass end of space I need to send his ass.”

Darcy let out a small huff, “I know Janey, but let’s wait on the alcohol… What do you think Thor will do when he gets back in tomorrow and you’re not at the tower?”

“I figure Tony will tell him what happened. Then he’ll most likely try and hit Barnes with Mjolnir. And then come straight here, you know he’ll want to see his ‘little lightning sister’ as soon as he learns what Barnes did. And we did tell Tony where we are… roughly…” Jane shuddered, “I still hate the woods.”

Darcy’s lips quirked up just a bit, “I know Janey, you’re a trooper.”

Jane reached over and grabbed Darcy’s hand, “Anything for you, Darce.”

The two girls let the conversation drop, watching the flames dance in the morning air as the pups snored without a care. 

\----------------------

Roger came out of the woods to see his little niece and the star woman sitting by the fire and knew the conversation to come would be a hard one to have, but they all needed to have it. His little birdy needed reassured that she wasn’t alone and he and the star woman needed to know how to go on about taking care of their girl. Walking over and setting his crate full of shine down between the two ladies, he patted Darcy on the head before going to gather the crate from the shed he filled earlier.

Walking back out he set it down across the pit and handed his niece a jar of Peach and her friend a jar of Piña Colada, taking an cinnamon for himself. Settling in the chair across from his niece he twisted off the lid and lifted his jar to the girls, “when e’er ya redee Darcey-girl. Ya drin’ up an’ we gon’ be here fur ya.”

The girls lifted their drinks and both took long pulls from their jars, Darcy gritting her teeth a moment at the burn of good shine while Jane looked like she had sucked a lemon. 

Taking a deep breath Darcy started her story.

“I went in to see the team. We all got the alert, I knew Nat had been shot,” she took another pull from her jar, “and I knew it would be bad going in. And I was right. They all looked devastated. Clint wouldn’t look at me, Tony looked so sad, Steve looked so worried. James… James was worse. He looked devastated, broken. He said it was his fault, that he distracted her.

“He said that she asked if he had told me yet, and he said no. That he wasn’t going to, that what the two of them were doing had to stop. He told her he needed me… he said that he distracted her but for the life of me I can’t see Nat getting distracted. She’s too professional for that, too compartmentalized!” She balled her fist in the afghan, taking a sip from her har, “But he told me it was his fault she was lying bloody and broken in surgery, and I can’t… he told me he didn’t want to hurt me…” she trailed off to a whisper and Jane reached over and squeezed her hand in a strong grip.

“I said that he knowingly hurt us both. I threw it in his face, and I don’t even feel bad about it! What kind of person does that make me?” She looked over to Jane, “Is that terrible?” 

Jane shook her head no, squeezing her hand tighter. Roger reached over and tapped her cheek with his finger, “Yu lissin tah me birdee, dis ain’t mean yu a bad pers’n. Yu’s hurtin and he’s was in da wrong. Ain’t not a ting dis means on yu other dan yu was hurt. He gon’ get his bad luck soon ‘nough.”

“But Pap…”

Jane broke her off, “No buts, Darce. He was in the wrong. What you said does not make you a horrible person. What he did to you makes him a horrible person. Not you, never you. After all you two went through, after what you lost… he never should have done that to you, Darcy.” 

“Starcat be right Darcey-girl, him shouldah been der for ya.”

Darcy whimpered as she tried to hold back a sob, “It was my fault.” 

Jane moved from her chair to kneel in front of her friend, “no, it was not. Not this, not Ohio. None of it. It was not your fault that you got taken, none of what they did to you is in any way your fault. None of what happened back then is Barnes fault either. Your baby—” Darcy gasped out a sob, “you lost your baby Darcy,” Jane pulled her crying friend into a hug, “that is not and never was your fault. That was Hydra. And the consequences of what happened were terrible, I can’t even imagine, but do not put any of this on you.” 

Darcy cried as Jane held her, letting all her pain and frustration and fear come out in her tears. “My baby, Janey, I never got to meet my little baby boy—” her shoulders shook as her sobs wracked her body. 

Her uncle moved in to hold his niece, Jane moving to sit on the armrest of Darcy’s chair, “ya so strong, birdee, so strong. We here, ain’t nuttin gon’ take us way from yous. Ya babe boy watchin ya from up ‘bove an’ he always gon’ be watchin o’er you Darcey-girl. Jus’ like Nan Gail watchin o’er me. Ya babe love ya, Darcey-May. Ya a momma to an angel, yu is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated.
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes.
> 
> Nameless Angel


	5. Rancor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor! Tony! Also, a little bit of insight to things back at the tower, just a smidge but it's something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all! 
> 
> As promised, a double update. I will do my damnedest to get you lovely peoples another chapter by the weekend. Hopefully the rains will give me time to write. 
> 
> I hope you guys like the chapter, I was super nervous about writing Thor. I hope it's okay. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Hours later Darcy’s sobs had faded to the occasional whimpering hiccup, her uncle and Jane never moving from her side. It was a much-needed release for the girls, and her Uncle Roger now knew some things that helped to put everything from the last few years into perspective. 

It was around 3 in the afternoon, and four jars of shine shared between the three of them, when the alarm of the Range Rover the girls arrived in went off, startling the trio. Jane looked at Darcy in panic, but she just ran into the cabin before rushing back out moments later with the keys. She rushed to the vehicle, unlocking the doors and throwing herself into the front seat as Jarvis’s smooth tone filtered through the speakers. 

“Miss Lewis, I am sorry to disturb your solitude, but Sir wishes me to inform you that Thor has arrived a day early. He is very distraught and angered at the goings on these last few days and wishes to know of your location. Sir refuses to disclose this information without your consent—” 

Jarvis was cut off by Tony’s voice coming through the speakers. “Hey kid, Point Break here is going ballistic. But I won’t tell him where you two are without your go ahead, so can I please have your go ahead? I don’t want to face Hammer Time but I will if you ask me to… are you gonna ask me to?”

Darcy shuddered out a sigh, “you can tell him Tony. Jane will want to see him—” 

“But do you want to see him?” Tony interrupted her. 

Silence drifted into the car as she thought about what she wanted. She knew Jane would want to see Thor, and she knew Thor would want to see both of them. But she selfishly didn’t want to be around a happy couple at the moment, not with the last few days. Not so soon after tearing open fresh and old wounds alike. Tony, bless the crazy man, knew her well enough to follow her train of thought without being able to see her.

“I won’t tell him without your permission, Darce. No matter what.” 

Darcy let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, “Can… Will you come with him?” 

She heard Tony suck in a shaky gasp, “Are you sure kid?”

“Yes,” she exhaled, “Can you bring—” 

“I’ll bring your flowers, kid. I promise. We’ll be there in about eight hours. I’ll see ya soon Sparky.” 

“Thanks Tony.”

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo,” there was a loud crash in the background before Thor could be heard yelling about the location of his beloved Jane and his shield sister, “Gotta go kid, Hammer Time,” there was another loud crash and the beginnings of what sounded like a pained yelp before the call disconnected. 

“I am terribly sorry, Miss Lewis,” Jarvis chimed back in, “I was overridden.” 

“It’s okay, J. Not your fault your maker is slightly psychotic,” she shrugged before climbing out of the car. 

Jane and Regor were waiting back by the fire pit, giving her privacy as she spoke with Tony. 

She looked to Jane, “So, it appears Thunder-man came back a day early…” she turned to her uncle, “and he and Tony are on their way here, should be here by tonight… I’m sorry to have all of us imposing on you, Pap, we can go out and stay in the river cabin if you need us to.” 

Her uncle tutted, “Ain’t not a ting, Darcey-girl. You’s all gon’ stay right ‘ere an’ we gon’ make room fur em, jus’ like da las’ time.” Her uncle pulled her into a tight hug, “Ain’t not a ting. Ya ne’er a burden tah ya ol’ Pap.” 

Burying her face in the old, comforting scent of her uncle’s leather vest, she breathed out a soft, “thank you.”

With a tight squeeze he let her go, walking off to fix up sleeping arrangements for the incoming guests. Jane pulled Darcy back into her chair, passing her a fresh jar of Clear Death and taking one for herself. Lifting it to her friend, she toasted, “To getting drunk.” 

Darcy lifted her jar to Jane’s, “To getting drunk.” 

\-------------- 

By the time darkness settled over the woods, the girls had fallen asleep cuddled up on a blanket by the fire pit. The two mutts lay curled up by their feet. Roger stoked the fire as he waited for the two men his lil’ birdee said were on their way. 

Another hour passed by and Roger covered the girls with another blanket to ward off the chilly night air. Soon enough, he heard the soft whooshing of that secret plane they came in last time his niece visited. He saw it land behind his cabin and minutes later the alien and the manchild walked over to where he sat. 

Thor knelt down and brushed a lock of hair off of the starcat’s face before adjusting the blanket tighter around the two. The manchild sat in the chair next to his and reached down to grab a jar of shine, taking a long pull before grunting his hello. 

“For how long have they slept here?” Thor murmured as quietly as he could, but sounds seemed louder out in the quiet of the woods. None of the three men noticed when Darcy stirred in her sleep, thinking her to just be shifting to a more comfortable position on the hard ground.

“Few hour’s, mayb’ three. No’ long after ah made em eat a lil’ supp’r,” he reached down to swat at the blonde and scolded quietly, “now lee’ em be. Thems had a ruff day, an they needs their rest.”

Tony huffed beside him, “I take it she told you what happened yesterday?”

“Yis, an’ I ain’t none too ha-pee bout it neid’r.”

“Aye,” Thor intoned, “I am extremely displeased to learn of the lies James Barnes has been leading. Lady Darcy never deserved this pain.”

“No,” Tony agreed, “and she doesn’t even know what happened after she left.”

“Wha’ mah Darcey-girl not know?”

“I believe Tony means Barnes’ so called ‘reasoning’ behind his actions against—”

Tony scoffed, interrupting Thor, “More like his horrible excuse,” Tony spat. “He said, and I quote here, ‘he couldn’t handle losing another kid.’ So, his decision was to go with Natashalie. Because her baby maker was closed for business back in the Red Room.” Tony chugged from the jar in his hand before looking to the Thunder God, nobody noticing as Darcy buried her face in Jane’s back to hide her tears, “are you sure the good ol’ Cap can’t move that hardware of yours off of his horrible ol’ buddy the Bastard?”

“Aye,” a stormy rage encompassed Thor’s face as he sat down across the fire pit, searching through the crate at his feet until he found one marked with ‘Clear Death’ on its lid, “Mjolnir will not move from where she lies on Barnes’ chest unless I call her to me. James Barnes is stuck where he lay for now.” Tony grumbled under his breath what sounded like ‘treacherous, lying assholes.’ 

Roger took a sip from his jar, reaching down to smooth down Darcy’s hair, “Mah Darcey-girl alred-y done torn up o’er her angel child tuhday… I ‘unno how much more she can take wit-out breakin’ too deep.” 

Thor nodded, “She will feel the loss of the babe until the end of her days, nothing can take nor change her pain.”

Tony jerked up out of his seat, raging even as he kept his voice to a whisper, “The fucking bastard! He lied to her. She lost a baby too, she felt that loss inside. In her soul, her heart,” he choked out a gasp, “she felt when she lost it. She knew, god dammit! And she was alone, we weren’t there in time to get her out, to keep them both safe.” He paced around the edge of the fire pit, taking a long pull from the jar sloshing in his hand, “and he has the fucking nerve to cheat on her because, even though her chances of having another kid now are slim to none, the possibility of losing another one is too hard to handle?! And the fucking Black Widow can’t have kids at all, so she’s the safe bet? 

“Well, fuck him,” Tony spat, “He never deserved her. She doesn’t deserve the shit he’s putting her through. Darcy deserves a goddamned Prince Charming.” 

Thor grumbled in agreement, “Barnes actions and thoughts have been faulty. His treatment of the Lady Darcy’s heart has been unimaginably poor. She deserves a Prince to treat her with all the care that should be bestowed upon a Queen. The imbecilic James will not hurt my shield sister in such a manner again, not so long as I still breathe.”

“Mah birdee dahserve the world,” Roger agreed as he stood from his chair, “But fah now her need her rest. Les move these twos on up to they bed and git tha two a yu settl’d in. Alien take yur wuhman. Tony carry mah Birdee.” 

Thor lifted Jane and headed towards the house, following Roger as he led the way and held open the door. When Tony bent to lift Darcy, he noticed the tears soaking her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a shaky breath as Tony wiped his thumb under her eyes, “Oh kid,” he pulled her into his chest, motioning Thor and Roger to go on into the house. 

“Was it the truth?” she whispered between shaky breaths, hiding her face in Tony’s arc reactor, letting the soft glow and hum focus her racing thoughts.

He pulled her in tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head, “I’m so sorry, kid.”

“I don’t think he ever wanted a baby, not really” her shoulders heaved, “you were more excited than he was to find out.”

“Oh Dee… you know I’m a sucker for kids. It’s my hidden Achille’s heel. My kryptonite,” he rubbed circles on her back, “If he didn’t want a baby, and I’m not saying he didn’t, then he’s even more of an idiot than I thought he was.” 

Darcy pulled back just enough to glance up at him and his eyes were lined with tears he was refusing to let fall, “Did you bring my flowers?” 

Tony quickly wiped the tears from his eyelids, “I promised, didn’t I? We can do whatever you want with them tomorrow, baby girl.” 

He stood and pulled her to her feet as well before swooping her up in his arms like a child, “but for now, let’s get you in bed. I’ll bring one up to your bedside once you’re all tucked in.” 

As he made his way to the house, Roger opened the door to let them in and ushered them up the stairs. He pulled the bedding down so Tony could lay her on the sheets before covering her up and tucking one of the pups up under her arm. 

As Tony went back outside to get the promised flower, Darcy reached for her uncle’s hand, “can we plant his flowers tomorrow?” 

Roger squeezed her hand and tucked the blanket tighter under her chin, “Anytin fur mah birdee’s angel babe. Ya wan’ put em out by Nan Gail’s garden?” 

She nodded, squeezing his hand before tucking her arm back around the pup snuggling into her side as Tony came back in and set a white Lily on the nightstand, “Thank you, Re-gor. Thanks Tony.” 

“Anytin yu need mah Darcey-girl,” Roger cut out the light and ushered Tony and Thor down the stairs, “Anytin yu need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated.
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes.
> 
> Nameless Angel


	6. Reverence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast, a phone call to Pepper, flowers, and somebody makes a surprise appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! 
> 
> As promised, a chapter by the weekend! 
> 
> Okay, so some housekeeping:  
> -I have received a few comments that Roger's accent has been a little hard to read, so I toned it down in this chapter. I will try and go back through the previous chapters later and tone those down as well but I don't know exactly when I will get to that. It is on the list though!  
> -The plot bunnies that originally inspired this fic have completely been sucked into a vacuum. BUT, they have been replaced by something else. When I post the next chapter, I will be updating the tags for this fic. My outline has shifted drastically. Major character hint at the end of the chapter. Darcy will be having a new / tag added with the next update. I apologize to those of you who were hoping for full reconciliation. This got darker than I intended and I don't see that as a possibility I am comfortable writing. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!!
> 
> P.S. The last section of this chapter had me feeling like Mr. Burns.  
> 

Jane woke up Saturday morning with a raging headache and a dog breathing its hot breath into her ear. Grunting, she swats at the pup halfheartedly but only manages to whack Darcy’s head where it lays half a foot from hers. The girl groans and ducks her head under the pillow before lightly snoring. With a groan she pulls herself out of the bed and makes her way downstairs in search of coffee and advil. 

She finds Roger up and puttering about, making coffee and something that looks like a combination of waffles and French toast. He spots her rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she enters and pours her a mug with a soft, “Mornin’, Starcat.”

She collapses into one of the chairs at the window, resting her forehead against the cool glass of the window and sighing at the slight relief it brings to her head. She doesn’t open her eyes when she hears footsteps coming their way, just sips at her coffee with eyes still firmly shut. She hears someone collapse into the chair next to her and from the smell of his highly overpriced cologne she knows it must be Tony. Resolved to be a little more caffeinated and less hungover before she faces the day, she lets the men’s conversation drift around her. 

Some time later, a plate of whatever Roger was cooking up is set in front of her and her coffee is topped off. Poking at the concoction with a fork, she wonders what it is. It smells sweet and heavenly, like French toast . It looks like a waffle lost a battle with the stove and was covered in cinnamon. 

She hears Roger chuckle at her poking it, “It was mah birdie’s favrite food when she was little. Her always wanted her Nan Gail’s waffles and mah French toast. Ne’er could eat it all. Her and her Nan was playin’ ‘round in da kitchen one day and mixed the two toget-ter,” he set a plate in front of Tony and smiled as the man dug in without reservation, “Ne’er want it any odder way since.” 

Tony groaned in delight, “I can see why. Presentation aside, I don’t think I want anything else for breakfast from now on.”

Roger chuckled plating up more food as Thor wandered in, “what in the nine is that heavenly aroma?” 

“Better than poptarts, Point Break, try it,” Tony nudged Jane, “you better eat that or I will take it right off of your plate.” 

“There be more’n enough to go ‘round. You leave starcat be, manchild. Eat ya own,” Roger looked over to where Thor was already halfway through his own plate, making sounds that would be awfully at home in the bedroom, “Mayb’ ah needs to make sum more…” 

“How often did Darcy come around when she was growing up?” asked Tony as Roger turned back to the stove and Jane decided to try the thing on her plate, if only due to the guy’s reactions. 

“Birdie stayed wit me ‘n her Nan most a her summers as she grown up. The summer her ninth year, her ma ne’er came back to git her. Darcey-girl stayed wit us from nine till she turn foh’teen. That’s when her brother got discharged, he did. Came and got lil birdie and raised her till she went tah school.”

“Where is her brother now?” Thor looked across to Tony, “she has never before mentioned him to me…” Thor looked down at his plate, a little hurt flashing across his face.

“My brother reenlisted after I went off to school. He’s a lot older than me, nearly twelve years,” Darcy walked into the kitchen and went to pour a mug of coffee, giving her uncle a side hug as she passed him, “I have told you about him, but I guess I never actually called him my brother in context. His name is Mason, you all met him.” Roger put some fresh French-toast-waffles on a plates as Darcy fixed her coffee, setting them at the last two chairs at the kitchen table as they both sat down. 

A look of recognition flashed across Thor’s face, “Ah! Yes, your friend in the air force. Your tales of him never seemed like he had any part of your upbringing,” Thor trailed off questioningly.

“Mason,” Tony chimed in, “is he the one that helped you glitter-balloon Cap’s apartment on his sweet-hundredth?”

Darcy let out what sounded like a yupp that was muffled by the delighted moan as she tucked into her food. 

“Darcy!” Jane exclaims, “we met him! How did we not know he was your brother?!” 

“We’re technically half-siblings. He takes after his father, I guess I take after mine?” She looks to her Uncle, “you always said I never really looked much like Rayna.”

“No, Darcey-girl. Ya ne’er took much after ya ma’. Ne’er met the man ya momma used tah make you sweet bird,” his eyes drifted to the framed pictures by the door, “always did seem tah take after ya Nan though…”

Everyone’s eyes drifted over to the pictures on the wall, “the woman in the blue dress, that’s who you mean, right?” 

“Aye,” Thor chimed in, “it must be. She bears a striking resemblance to our Lady Darcy.” 

“That be my Gail, yessir. And the leetle wallop next to her be mah birdie,” he grinned over at his niece as Tony jumped up and went to look at the pictures of baby Darcy.

He let out a rather un-manly squee, “Darcy!” he pulled the picture frame from its hook and came to show Jane and Thor, “bows! You had a bow! In your hair,” he sounded completely scandalized. 

The image depicted a young Darcy, six turning seven, during her summer stay with her kin. They had gone out to the county fair two towns over to celebrate her birthday and Nan Gail had done Darcy’s hair up in a high ponytail, secured with a deep purple ribbon tied in a bow. It was a good memory, a few years before Gail got sick and they stopped going to the fair. Her Nan and Pap had spoiled her on the trip, buying her candy apples and letting her play the goldfish-game until she finally won. Then they had gone out to the mountain lake and spent the day doing whatever she had wanted. 

“And the cutest cheeks!” Jane sighed happily, pulling Darcy out of the fond memory.

“Mah birdie was the cutest lil trubble-maker,” Roger beamed with a proud smile.

“She was a beautiful child,” intoned Thor. 

Tony put the image back on the wall, only to find another and the process repeated nearly half a dozen times. By the time he had ran out of pictures, all the waffles were gone and the plates had been neatly stacked in the sink. 

“Alright,” Tony clapped his hands together, a serious expression falling over his face, “I have a phone call to make. And we have some flowers to take care of.”

Darcy hugged her arms around her chest, giving a shaky nod, “I’ll show you the garden.” 

“Alright Hercules,” Tony clapped Thor on the shoulder, “let’s go unload. Then we’ll let Darcy lead her show.”

\------------------

Tony wandered out to the Quinjet with Thor, telling the demi-god to go start unlatching the cargo. Shifting course to the SUV Darcy and Jane had arrived in, he let himself in and turned on Jarvis. 

“Jay, put me in contact with Pepper, if she’s busy then use the emergency override.”

The car filled with the sound of the call connecting, before switching to a loud beep and connecting to Pepper. 

“Tony, I was in the middle of a meeting with PR, what’s going on? How’s Darcy?” Pepper knew Tony had flown out with Thor to go see the girl. She was stationed back at the tower, keeping an eye on the remaining team members and dealing with the public in regards to the botched mission that had led to this current situation. 

“It’s not great, Pep. I need a favor,” he said. 

“What do you need, Tony?” she let out a small sigh, preparing herself for whatever might pop out of Tony’s mouth next. She loved the man, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t admit he was slightly mental. 

“Do you remember the guy Darcy brought around last summer, Mason?” 

“You mean her brother?” Pepper asked slightly confused.

“Wait—you knew she had a brother?! How did you know? Not even Jane knew they were related!” Tony sounded positively put out. Pepper laughed.

“It was kind of obvious, Tony. Looks aside, they had the exact same mannerisms. And I helped with travel arrangements when he came down,” she explained.

Tony huffed indignantly, “well, whatever. Fine. You knew she had a brother. You and your superior—”

“Tony,” Pepper chided.

“Yeah, yeah. I need you to fly him out here. ASAP. And if he’s on active duty get in touch with Rhodey and pull some strings. Tell him I’ll owe him an upgrade to the suit.” Tony grumbled.

“I think that’s a great idea, Tony. I’ll see what I can do.”

Tony sighed, “how are things back at the tower?”

“Well, Bruce hasn’t left the containment room. Nat is out of surgery and stable. Barnes is still trapped under Thor’s hammer, and Steve is trying to tend to him but Clint keeps running interference,” Pepper let out a noise between a sigh and a laugh. 

“Clint?” Tony asked shocked, “I thought he was team Spider.”

Pepper sighed, “I did too. But he came to speak with me this morning. Said he was suspicious about Natasha’s injuries. He claims she was in his sightline when Bucky told her that he was basically done with their affair. He said there was a strange look that passed over her face, almost calculatingly jealous,” she shushed him when he went to interrupt, “his words, not mine. Anyways, he said that she could have easily subdued the man that shot her. He said it almost looked like she moved into the shot…” she trailed off, voice unsure, “Tony, what are we going to do?”

Tony smacked his hands down on the steering wheel in anger and frustration, “Darcy was suspicious already. This just confirms it,” he cursed under his breath, “fuck, Pepper, what was she hoping would happen?”

“I don’t know, Tony.”

“Put her room on 24/7 surveillance by Jarvis. Use that thing Fury said we could test out to track any minute movement. Don’t let Steve in—“ he broke off, confused about what she had said earlier, “When you said Clint was running interference…”

“I meant that Clint refuses to let anyone get near Bucky. He’s basically a guarding the man, in an ironic and backwards kind of way. He gave Bucky a water bottle, a pack of crackers, and an empty container. He just sits there glaring, and if anyone goes to try and help him then he gets defensive, herds them back.” 

“Has anything happened?” Tony asked with slight intrigue.

“Well,” Pepper said and Tony could hear the slight grin in her voice, “he gave Cap a busted jaw the first time. Said that it was Bucky’s own damn fault for getting himself into this mess.”

Tony cackled but then grew serious, “I find it hard to believe Clint didn’t know it had been going on.”

“I questioned him about that,” she sighed again, “he did know. And he never felt right about it, but apparently Cap had somehow persuaded him to stay quiet. And we all know he has strong loyalties to Natasha,” Tony grunted in agreement, “but he said he couldn’t stand by them doing something so wrong, not anymore. Especially not with him thinking Natasha got shot on purpose. He and Cap had a standoff about that too.” 

“Fuck, Pepper,” he reached up to rub his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, “this keeps getting more and more twisted.”

“I know,” Tony heard the sounds of loud arguing in the background, “shit,” she cursed, “I’ve got to go, Clint is in holding Cap at bow-point. I’ll figure out how to get Mason out there by Monday.”

Tony heard Barnes shouting in the background, wanting to talk to Darcy.

“Not a chance in hell James Buchanan Barnes,” Pepper said in a voice that made Tony’s blood run cold, he knew that voice and he did not like being on the receiving end of that voice, “the last thing you are going to do is speak with her. You get to sit there and think about what you’ve done,” Pepper sneered at Barnes, “this is the least of what you deserve right now.”

“God, I love you, Pep. Keep me updated. Use the scary voice on that bastard as much as you like, have Jarvis record it.”

“I love you too,” she chuckled, “I’ll let you know. Keep me updated on Darcy.”

The line cut, and Tony warred internally over the new information from Clint. This situation was morphing into a clusterfuck of epic proportions. He just hoped they could get Darcy to the other side of this hell without her getting hurt any further. 

\------------------ 

Thirty minutes later, there were about two dozen pots of white lilies lined up on the walkway in Gail’s old garden, the only place she wanted to plant the flowers in memory of her lost baby. Thor and Tony had moved the majority of them while Roger directed them. Darcy had drug Jane out to find the gardening tools and bags of soil in the shed. 

Now, it was time to get to work. 

Darcy studied the current plants blooming and the layout of the garden. A pebble walkway led in a straight line before curving around a towering fountain framed with lavender and daisies growing wildly around its base. From there, the path circled the fountain and had three branches that stretched out, making it seem like a compass, only the short entrance path is the one that pointed North. The southern path led to a metal-lattice table and chairs that was surrounded in Roses in the springtime. The eastern path led to a swingset where she used to play as a kid, and the western path led to a small pond. 

She decided to space them out throughout the garden, asking Thor and Tony to put two at every path entrance. She wanted two at the entrance to the gardens as well and drug those over herself. Placing eight spaced out around the fountain, she realized she still had six left. She took one out to the pond and one to the eating area. Coming back to place the last four before she got busy planting, she noticed her uncle going down the eastern path, trailed by Thor and Tony, carrying the last four to be planted by the swingset. Stifling her tears, she and Jane got busy digging. 

Three hours later, all the lilies had been replanted into the ground. Jane had been a big help in putting them in the ground while Thor and Tony took them out of the plastic pots they had previously resided in. Roger took the time to tend the other plants in the garden, weeding and watering as he went. 

After the last flower had been planted, Darcy went inside to get the one Tony had placed in her room the night before. Taking it out to the willow tree that guarded the entrance to the garden, Darcy sat it down by the cross that marked her Nan’s grave. Turning to head back into the garden to grab her spade, she saw the others already waiting, Roger holding the tool out to her. 

“Ya wan’ to be ‘lone for this one, birdie?” her uncle asked gently as he reached out to brush a tear from her cheek. She shook her head no, stifling a hiccup as her tears threatened to pour. Jane and Thor moved to stand next to the grave.

Tony came and pulled her into a hug, tucking her into his chest as she cried. 

By the time she stifled her sobs to hiccupping sniffles once again, Roger held the de-potted plant out to her and Jane was muffling sniffles of her own. Tony went to stand by Thor as he held his beloved Jane. Darcy bent and dug a hole right at the base of the cross before taking the plant from her uncle and placing it carefully in the ground, filling the dirt in around it. 

It was a quiet affair, the only noises being the birds and the sounds of shifting dirt as she tucked the flower safely in the ground. Finishing her task, she sat back on her heels and stared at the grave of her Nan and the tribute to her baby boy.

Roger cleared his throat as he knelt by her, placing a hand on her shoulder for support, “may I, Darcee-girl?” 

She nodded, and he began to hum the tune of Three Coins in the Fountain, by Frank Sinatra. It was the song he used to sing as her lullaby when she was a child. The one he sang when she was scared or lonely. The one he sang nightly after her mom never came by to pick her up. The one he sang to her in the hospital after the team had rescued her from Hydra, only to find out she had lost her son and the likelihood of ever having a child in the future. The one she had planned on singing to her son. 

By the time he had finished, Darcy was silently sobbing into her Roger’s chest as he held her. Thor had sunk to his knees with Jane, a few tears leaking from his eyes as he attempted to quieten Jane’s sobs. Tony still stood, staring at the flowers by the cross marking the grave. Tony didn’t believe in any god or gods, but at that moment he prayed that Barnes would have all of his lies come back to bite him in the ass. Ever since Darcy had come back to the tower after the nightmare that was Ohio, he thought of the girl as a pseudo-daughter. And he was stingy and protective of what he thought of as his own. 

Barnes would get what was coming to him. Nat too. 

\---------------- 

It was around three in the morning when the car’s alarm went off. Tony and Thor ran out while Roger tried to calm Darcy and Jane. 

Unlocking the door and sliding in, Tony accepted the incoming communication. Pepper’s voice came through the speaker, sounding haggard and worried, “Tony, we’ve got a problem. And it’s heading your way”

“What kind of problem, what’s coming?” he glanced out the windshield to where Thor stood guard at the front of the vehicle, shifting into a defensive position as he overheard Pepper’s omment.

No sooner had Pepper breathed out the name “Loki,” did the god appear nearly five feet in front of Thor.

"Loki," Thor summoned his armor and a sword strapped across his back, hoping to resolve whatever was about to happen without the need for Mjolnir.

“Hello, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Please feed the writer,  
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions, and bookmarks are always appreciated.
> 
> Please kindly let me know of any errors/mistakes.
> 
> Nameless Angel


End file.
